Geology | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/geology/RSS feed for GeologyenThu, 21 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000This Canadian Mine Might Release Enough Natural Hydrogen Each Year to Power 400 Homes, Hinting at an Untapped Source of Clean Energyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-canadian-mine-might-release-enough-natural-hydrogen-each-year-to-power-400-homes-hinting-at-an-untapped-source-of-clean-energy-180988773/Many of the country's metal mines are embedded in an ancient rock formation that probably also houses a lot of the resource, referred to as "white hydrogen"Thu, 21 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-canadian-mine-might-release-enough-natural-hydrogen-each-year-to-power-400-homes-hinting-at-an-untapped-source-of-clean-energy-180988773/It Took Millions of Years for Australia's Famous Twelve Apostles Landmark to Rise Out of the Seahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/australias-famous-twelve-apostles-landmark-rose-out-of-the-sea-across-missions-of-years-180988715/The iconic tourist destination provides a beautiful view, but also represents a physical record of Earth's climate historyMon, 11 May 2026 18:52:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/australias-famous-twelve-apostles-landmark-rose-out-of-the-sea-across-missions-of-years-180988715/East Africa Might Break Off From the Continent Sooner Than Scientists Thought—and a New Ocean May Fill the Gaphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/east-africa-might-break-off-from-the-continent-sooner-than-scientists-thought-and-a-new-ocean-may-fill-the-gap-180988659/A new study suggests that a rift in Kenya and Ethiopia has reached a critical stage in the split-up process, and that water may flood it in a few million yearsFri, 08 May 2026 18:48:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/east-africa-might-break-off-from-the-continent-sooner-than-scientists-thought-and-a-new-ocean-may-fill-the-gap-180988659/This Greek Volcano Seemed Quiet for 100,000 Years. Then It Erupted Again. Should Scientists Take a Second Look at 'Extinct' Volcanoes?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-greek-volcano-seemed-quiet-for-100000-years-then-it-erupted-again-scientists-take-a-second-look-at-extinct-volcanoes-180988651/By reconstructing a 700,000-year history of Methana volcano, geologists found a prehistoric phase when it appeared inactive on the surface, despite magma building up below groundFri, 01 May 2026 16:50:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-greek-volcano-seemed-quiet-for-100000-years-then-it-erupted-again-scientists-take-a-second-look-at-extinct-volcanoes-180988651/A Mars Rover Found Building Blocks of Life Never Seen on the Red Planet Before, Boosting the Case for Ancient Habitabilityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-mars-rover-found-building-blocks-of-life-never-seen-on-the-red-planet-before-boosting-the-case-for-ancient-habitability-180988610/The organic molecules discovered by NASA’s Curiosity rover could have been formed by life, but they could have also come from geologic processes or meteoritesThu, 23 Apr 2026 20:10:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-mars-rover-found-building-blocks-of-life-never-seen-on-the-red-planet-before-boosting-the-case-for-ancient-habitability-180988610/Scientists Still Don't Know How or When the Grand Canyon Formed. New Research May Hint at Its Ancient Originshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-still-dont-know-how-or-when-the-grand-canyon-formed-new-research-may-hint-at-its-ancient-origins-180988570/Researchers say the ancestral Colorado River formed an ancient lake in northern Arizona roughly 6.6 million years ago, which spilled out westward onto the landscape that would eventually become the Grand CanyonFri, 17 Apr 2026 19:11:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-still-dont-know-how-or-when-the-grand-canyon-formed-new-research-may-hint-at-its-ancient-origins-180988570/The Hell Creek Formation Is North America's Legendary Boneyard. See the Top Five Discoveries Found in the Iconic Fossil Bedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-hell-creek-formation-is-north-americas-legendary-boneyard-see-the-top-five-discoveries-found-in-the-iconic-fossil-bed-180988545/From preserved plants to T. rex, the material found in these Late Cretaceous rocks has resulted in countless breakthroughs for paleontologistsWed, 15 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-hell-creek-formation-is-north-americas-legendary-boneyard-see-the-top-five-discoveries-found-in-the-iconic-fossil-bed-180988545/Artemis 2 Astronauts Successfully Return to Earth After Completing a Historic Mission Around the Moonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/artemis-2-astronauts-successfully-return-to-earth-after-completing-a-historic-mission-around-the-moon-180988513/The crewmembers splashed down Friday after breaking a space-faring record and viewing lunar features never seen by human eyes during their ten-day trip. It marks the first time anyone has left Earth's orbit in more than 50 yearsSat, 11 Apr 2026 00:07:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/artemis-2-astronauts-successfully-return-to-earth-after-completing-a-historic-mission-around-the-moon-180988513/